Audax rides

Anyone else doing Steamride this Saturday?

I just paid up for the London Sightseer on sunday. Anyone else doing it?

I am doing it, getting the 6:30 train from Marylebone to West Ruislip

Routes and stuff have been posted. I'm not sure I'll be doing this edition but the last one was good fun.

Hm, I only just signed up earlier today. I guess I could just turn up with GPX loaded on my Garmin? (My first Audax-branded audax)

EDIT: Organiser forwarded me everything.

Yes!

If only for the cafe near the Greenwich tunnel.

I will be doing it on my shopping bike (a 20-odd kg single speed step through framed city bike). I expect I will have to walk a hill of two.

If you haven't done it before, it is a great event. It is the slowest 100km you will ever ride, with the hardest navigation. But it is brilliant fun and can take you into parts of the city you never knew existed etc.

I do that. I was using it for training so I don't have time to be pissing about with route sheets. GPS or GTFO>>> #missingthepoint #notarace

That cafe is awesome. Jamaican Patties and Ginger Beer just what you need. Hopefully it won't be as wet as last year.

It was my first audax and it's SO SLOW for obvious reasons!

Have fun. The jerk chicken's ace.

I'm learning to embrace route sheets. I've already got my plastic-takeaway-lid-and-cable-tie 'map holder' ready for Tewkesbury on Saturday

Do you have pics of this? I actually own a bar bag from cycle touring in 2005 but I never get around to fitting it. It's a bit too tourist for me. Maybe on a longer audax, if I ever decide to do 600k or LEL or PBP or something.

I'm "helping out" at a couple controls, will be bringing my camera along as well.

Did the route on Saturday just gone, having not done the original steam ride.
I enjoyed it, quite a few beautifully scenic sections. The valley you cycle through after Wycombe was particularly nice. And having cycled over the chilterns on a few rides and seeing didcot power station in the distance, this ride takes a cycle path that pretty much has you brushing up against the cooling towers, which is pretty cool. Oh yeah and that country estate (waddesdon manor i think) was lovely, spans for a good few kms

That said be aware the organiser has used a few national cycle paths etc especially on the way out, so the ground won't be suitable for 20c tyres in places if you are planning on taking that sort of bike :p they are in the minority though

Have fun, hopefully see you there :)

Rep! This is a unrelentingly brutal ride, I'm surprised you only resorted to the granny ring at the end! Apart from like box hill i probably used mine on every hill haha

Do you have pics of this? I actually own a bar bag from cycle touring in 2005 but I never get around to fitting it. It's a bit too tourist for me. Maybe on a longer audax, if I ever decide to do 600k or LEL or PBP or something.

How about one of these: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/181606005/gravel-grinder-brevet-cue-card-holder?

I emailed Jordan (big x top) the other week about making me one. It is easy to take on and off, not that touristy, perfect size fro route sheet / brevet card and you can still have a GPS mounted 'out-front' as well.

"A Garmin GPS can be mounted to your stem, covered by this product, and read through it."

How does that work? There's gonna be folded paper in it, no?

But yeah, that kind of thing could be useful. Thanks

I use an A4 plastic sleeve cut down slightly, a piece of foamex board cut to A5 and two clothes line pegs cable tied to the handlebars. Works a treat generally (except on the last sightseer going along the Lee Valley Canal I hit some of the bumps under a bridge and the whole thing fell in the canal!) I bought better pegs for the next time!

The holder is currently back in the West Country but it's essentially a ripoff of the below (as posted on cyclech*t)

Just sits on top of the stem and bars and is attached to them, will hopefully not disintegrate 120km from home

Thanks!

I use(d) a piece of cardboard ziptied with two ties to my stem and a bulldog clip as a route sheet holder until I recently got a barbag with a clear plastic map holder. If you want to waterproof the above setup you can use a plastic bag.

What?

Do I look like that Dyson hoover bloke? ;)

For the ultimate Audax refinement I may try bodging a pen holder onto it

You can use one of the red rubber bands as a sliding place marker, as shown to me by a wise old audax man once.

The big advantage of using a takeaway box is: mmm, takeaway

Edit : placeholder idea is very mindblown.gif

Thanks for the info - see you out there :)

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I'm off for the Steamride breakfast now on your recommendation. Choo choo!